News

NMC to hold registration fee at £120 ‘as long as possible’

The decision not to increase the regulator’s main source of income in line with inflation comes as nurses face a struggle with rising living costs

The decision not to increase the regulator’s main source of income in line with inflation comes as nurses face a struggle with rising living costs

Registration fees for the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) will remain at £120 ‘for as long as possible’
Picture: iStock

Registration fees for the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) will remain at £120 ‘for as long as possible’.

The decision to keep the fee at its current rate was made at the regulator's council meeting on 30 March as part of its 2022-23 annual budget.

Balancing affordability and sufficient funding

NMC registration fees were last increased in February 2015 and are the regulator's main source of income.

Had fees risen in conjunction with inflation the annual fee for 2022-23 could have risen to £142, resulting in £16 million more income for the regulator, council meeting papers revealed.

By 2024-25 the annual fee could be as much as £160 should the NMC keep pace with inflation, bringing in £30 million more income.

‘Our financial strategy aims to ensure that the fee is affordable for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates while at the same time providing sufficient funding to enable us to operate effectively as their regulator,’ the papers said.

‘Provided registrant numbers remain stable, we aim to maintain the registration fee at the current £120 level for as long as possible.’

Nurses are feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis

The decision not to increase the registration fee will likely be a welcome relief for many nurses who are struggling to make ends meet.

Many have raised concerns about rocketing fuel prices which they say risk forcing nurses who rely on their car for work off the road as they struggle to pay at the petrol pump.

Coupled with the rising cost of living, many nurses are faced with a stark choice between heating and eating.

Analysis by Nursing Standard at the start of this year found nurses were up to £3,600 a year worse off than a decade earlier because wages have failed to keep pace with inflation.

Since then, the situation has become even worse. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show inflation hit a new 30-year high of 6.2% in the 12 months to February, up from 5.5% in January.

The RCN is calling for a pay rise of five percentage points above inflation – or 12.5% – for 2022-23 to help nurses pay the bills and encourage more to stay in the profession.


In other news

Jobs